Sunday, September 16, 2012

Why You'll Dig it:

Sharp angles and cool blue LED light give the Z11 Plus a one-of-a-kind look. That blue glow comes from two 120mm LED fans (one front, one top), which join forces with
a 120mm rear fan and two 80mm side fans to keep air moving through this midtower. (The Z11 Plus also has a mounts and one 120mm/140mm bottom fan.) With seven expansion slots and room for graphics cards up to 11.4 inches long, the Z11 Plus gives you a nice amount of room to install some powerful hardware. Zalman built its empire on quiet computing solutions, and you that here, with an antivibration PSU bay and antivibration dampers for the tool-less internal drive bays.

Running on eBay now

Why You'll Dig it:

Like its COSMOS ancestors, the COSMOS II is a case that gives you virtually everything you want and then throws in a bunch of extras. The quick-release panels are back for an encore, and they’re better than ever. Another excellent improvement is the COSMOS II’s use of a dual-chamber design, which separates the PSU bay and six of the case’s 11 internal 2.5/3.5-inch drives from the rest of the system. (The drive bays have dedicated cooling, too, courtesy of two included 120mm fans.) The COSMOS II’s support for graphics up to 15.1 inches long effectively means that even the gargantuan AMD Radeon HD 6990 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 will have plenty of breathing room in this case.

The Cosmos II comes in as one of the first Ultra Tower chassis. Inspired by luxurious supercars, the exterior of the Cosmos II melds aluminum, steel, and mesh into an elegant artistic piece. It maintains its trademark Cosmos profile and outlook with its reinforced aluminum rails while being further refined for today's advancements in air/water cooling, peripheral support, and styling. Large swinging aluminum side panels and sliding doors lend to its stylish and smooth movements to access ports, drives, and system hardware. With the Cosmos II, build as you wish as the options are endless.

Who Should Grab this:

Power users who want a mind-blowing case for their mind-blowing hardware.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Why You'll Dig it:

With a name like "DreamBass," you might expect a lot from something not much bigger than a thimble stuck on an L-shaped USB adapter. (This is so the DreamBass will stand upright when plugged into a notebook.) The DreamBass Genie lives up to expectations, however, because
it works some impressive magic without the use of drivers. Just plug it in and enjoy.

Using VIA’s VT1620A audio chips, the device runs your audio stream through a handful of post-processing algorithms and backs it with a +6dB boost at 80Hz. Bass goes from
sounding like something passing through a long cardboard tube to being right there in
your head, significantly richer and deeper. Mids suddenly rematerialize, eliminating
that "hollow" feel so prevalent with integrated audio. The DreamBass Genie doesn’t do that much with the highs, but the improved channel separation makes highs cleaner and more prominent.

Enermax’s old-school vacuum tube look is appealing, as is the device’s compatibility
support for Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

Conclusion:

You get big sound from a tiny package. This little gem is now a permanent fixture in our notebook bag.

Why You'll Dig it:

Increase the performance and efficiency of your PC with the Intel Core i7-3770K BX80667i73770K Processor. This 3rd generation Quad-Core Intel Core i7 Unlocked Processor delivers ultra-fast processing speed at 3.50GHz, further improved to a blazing fast 3.90GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology. With Intel Virtualization Technology, the processor can increase its productive output with better utilization of its resources. Integrated with Intel Fast Memory Access, Flex Memory Access, as well as Intel Smart Cache, the processor can even communicate well with the linked system memory, optimizing use of available memory bandwidth and reducing data accessing latency. When installed, your PC can run programs, applications, and tasks seamlessly.

As we saw with the 2nd Generation processors, Intel continues to add more technologies into the processor. For example, the new Intel HD Graphics 4000 supports DirectX 11 (HD Graphics 3000 only supports DX10.1) and a maximum resolution of 2,560 x 1,600. HD Graphics 4000 processors can also span the Windows Desktop across up to three independent displays. There’s also embedded support for DisplayPort and HDMI v1.4a. Intel indicates that it has improved its Quick Sync Video performance by up to 60%.

At stock, the Core i7-3770K runs at 3.5GHz with a Turbo Boost speed of
3.9GHz. Of course, the “K” suffix on means you’ll have an unlocked multiplier at your
disposal. Similar to the Core i7-2600K and 2700K, the i7-3770K provides you with four
cores with Hyper-Threading, as well as an 8MB of Intel Smart Cache. Intel also added
support for DDR3L.

As it runs on the Z77 chipset, the Core i7-3770K is built for the LGA1155 socket.
Intel indicates the Core i7-3770K will work on motherboards with Intel 7-Series
chipsets and the following Intel 6-Series chipsets: Z68, P67, H67, and H61. The
Core i7-3770K also offers two built-in security technologies, Intel Secure Key and Intel OS Guard. Secure Key is a hardware-assisted tool that helps you to create highly
secure and long strings of random numbers for computing tasks that require security.
OS Guard helps to prevent malware from gaining kernel-level access to your
operating system.

Comparing Intel Core i7-3770K against Intel’s Core i7-2600K. The Core i7-
3770K offers slight performance upgrades across the board, with
the biggest gains to be found in the gaming benchmarks.

Conclusion:

Builders planning a new system will want to pair the Core i7-3770K with a Z77 motherboard, because you’ll have access to all of the processor and chipset’s new features. On the other
hand, those who’ve recently built a system based on one of Intel’s 6-Series motherboards will find that, after a motherboard BIOS update, the Core i7-3770K’s Socket LGA1155
compatibility makes the processor a simple drop-in replacement.

Why You'll Dig it:

The Roku 2 XS lets you stream media from the internet direct to your TV, turning your last-generation LCD or CRT TV into a next-generation Smart TV. Connect it to your TV using HDMI or composite outputs, with HDMI essential if you want to view media in 720p or 1080p. The Roku 2 XS has built-in 802.1 In Wi-Fi as well as 100MBit Ethernet port, so you don't have to trail more wires around the TV stand. However, the Roku's light frame meant the weight of the HDMI cable sometimes made it rise off the TV stand.

Media streamers require an excellent user interface if they're to be a pleasure to use, and the Roku 2 XS's is fantastic. Its animations are smooth and fluid, and its control system is self-explanatory and easy to use. It consist of a series of options that scroll across the screen. If you select an option, you're presented with another horizontally scrolling list. This keeps the interface simple and consistent throughout.

When you first connect the Roku 2 XS, you're guided through a delightfully simple setup process that takes minutes to complete, but you'll need an internet connected computer to activate the unit. You also have to provide payment details before you can use the streamer, so you can make purchases from the unit's Channel Store.

Once set up, you can easily change settings and download new channels from the Channel Store, such as Netflix, iPlayer and Crackle. You can also download games, and you get the highly addictive Angry Birds for free, although sadly not the HD version. The quality of the picture depends to a large extent on that of the channel being streamed, but certain channels such as iPlayer HD looked fantastic. There's decent number of channels from which to choose. Some channels must be bought, some require a subscription and some, such as the excellent Crackle film channel, are free.

You can also play media from a locally connected USB flash drive or hard disk, but your choice of file type is limited to MP3, AAC, MP4, MKV, JPG and PNG. Annoyingly, the Roku 2 XS doesn't stream media to or from a network-based PC out of the box; you have to use an app such as Plex or Roku. These are both free, but you need to install a server on your PC to stream the media, so they won't work with a NAS device.

Conclusion:

Roku's 2 XS is a lovely compact media streamer with a great interface, but its LAN streaming and file support is limited.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Why You'll Dig it:

The N600 DB is an ADSL wireless router designed for high-throughput tasks such as, according to Belkin, streaming video. The router has what Belkin calls Multibeam technology; this is similar to D-Link's SmartBeam technology, found in its DIR-645 router, where the router can focus energy to connected devices to improve throughput. It's also dual-band, so compatible devices can connect to the router over the less-congested 5GHz band to avoid interference.

The setup is beautifully simple, and can be done over a wireless connection so you don't have to move your PC near the router. Once you've plugged the router into your ADSL line, the setup CD takes you through finding and connecting to the router from your PC with an encrypted wireless connection, before it tests your ADSL line and asks for your broadband username and password. The only strange part was when it asked for VPI and VCI numbers, which we've never been asked for when setting up an ADSL router, although the usual 0 and 38 worked fine.

The setup CD also installs the Belkin Router Monitor application, which sits in your System Tray. Right­ clicking on its icon gives you shortcuts to the router's web-based setup page, its manual and the media sharing and backup functions. The last option comes into play when you connect a disk to the router's USB port. We plugged in an NTFS-formatted external 500GB hard disk, and the router recognised it straight away. When a disk is connected, you can browse its contents on any PC with the Router Monitor software installed, and you can also play video and audio and view image files on DLNA or UpNP devices on the network. We had no problerns playing music, watching films or looking at photos over the network on a PC and on a Motorola Defy Android smartphone running its built-in DLNA app. You can also use the Router Monitor to back up selected folders on your PC to the networked hard disk, and it will back up new files once an hour automatically.

To get at the router's advanced settings, you need to use the web interface. The layout is nothing groundbreaking. but it's easy to see where all the options are and the help text is clear. All the usual options are there, such as port forwarding and QoS, and we particularly liked the guest network functions. Here you can set up a wireless network where guests can access the internet but not anything on your network, and you have the option of making the guest network encryption-free, WPA-protected or 'cafe-style', where you can connect to the network freely but are then presented with a web page requiring a logon password.

Conclusion:

Easy setup, useful extras and great performance make this a Best Buy ADSl router.

Why You'll Dig it:

The Transformer Prime is the first tablet to have the new Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset. As part of the Transformer line, the Prime can use a keyboard dock to become a makeshift laptop, and in fact it's currently unavailable without the dock.

The Prime shipped with Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) ratherthan the new and improved Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system, but Asus is in the process of updating the tablet and it may well have the latest version of Android now. Still, even running Honeycomb, this is the most impressive Android tablet to date, thanks to the new chipset, an excellent screen and all the flexibility that the keyboard dock brings.

The new NvidiaTegra 3 chipset is promoted as a quad-core, but the cleverest element is the fifth 'companion core'. This additional low-power core runs most of the time and keeps power usage as low as possible when a task is running or the tablet is in standby, with the four cores kicking in when more power is required.

For example, when the Prime is on standby only the companion core is used to sync your email and other background tasks. As soon as you pick it up and start navigating the menus, the four other cores kick in to provide the smoothest possible experience, which is very smooth indeed. If you start playing a video or a photo slideshow, or launch the email app and you are just typing, the companion core will take over again. This happens instantly and seamlessly with no apparent lag.

The tablet completed the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark in 1,865ms, which is among the quickest scores. In games, you'll see silky-smooth frame rates. Nvidia provides some updated versions of current games, such as shooter Shadowgun, which now has impressive transparency effects - again, with smooth frame rates. We also played a 1080p version of the Hobbit trailer from YouTube without a hitch, which is a huge step up from any other tablet we've seen.

The companion core helped to provide some impressive battery life scores in a video playback test. The Prime tablet alone lasted for 10 hours and 47 minutes, which is over
two hours more than the original Transformer, and the best score we've seen from an Android tablet to date. Add the dock, which has its own built-in battery, and you get 16 hours and 45 minutes, again bettering the Transformer by about two hours; this is definitely enough for a working day, even when using various apps and Wi-Fi. As with the original, the tablet's battery is sensibly charged before the dock's battery.

Conclusion:

The tablet itself is excellent, and if it was sold alone for $400.00(64 GB) it would be a top choice for an Android model. The dock still has some issues,and is only worth the extra $50.00 or so that you'll be paying if you type a lot of emails or really need the additional battery life. For its excellent screen and impressive Tegra 3 chipset, the Transformer Prime has already an Ultimate award. However, those with no interest in the dock should hold off. Asus has refused to confirm that there will be a tablet-only offering, but we bet it will happen and, when it does, the Prime really will be the Android tablet to buy.

Why You'll Dig it:

The iCB107 5-Way Audio Splitter with Apple Remote (White) from iLuv is a compact and convenient device that allows you to share a single audio source with up to 5 sets of headphones. The unit has a standard 3.5mm plug to connect to the headphone jack on a CD player, MP3 player, computer, portable DVD player, etc. It also has 5 stereo 3.5mm headphone jacks, letting you connect up to 5 pairs of headphones, earbuds, or mini speakers. You can also connect an additional music player to play multiple songs simultaneously. Integrated remote control buttons let you play/pause music, skip tracks, and adjust volume on compatible Apple devices such as the iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Why You'll Dig it:

The X51 is built around Intel's latest Sandy Bridge Core i3, is, or i7 processor ­ depending on how much you're willing to spend - and uses an Intel H61 chipset on a Mini-ITX motherboard to create an ultra-compact gaming Pc. The device measures just 34.3x31 .8x9.5cm and weighs a surprisingly portable 5.49kg.

Despite its compact dimensions, the X51 is capable of fairly impressive gaming performance. It ships with an Nvidia GeForce GT 545 graphics chip as standard, although buyers have the option to upgrade to an Nvidia GeForce GTX 555. Both specifications include 1GB of dedicated GDDR5 graphics memory, a lTB hard disk and either 4GB or 8GB of DDR3 memory, so most games should be perfectly playable.

Those who want to use their X51 as the centrepiece of their home entertainment setup can swap the integrated slot-loading DVD writer for a read-only Blu-ray drive. What's more, its built-in 7.1 -channel H D audio with analogue, digital optical and coaxial outputs provide easy connectivity to an AV receiver.

For home networking and internet access, the X5 1 includes a Gigabit Ethernet port and 802.1 1 n Wi-Fi wireless support. It also has six USB2 ports, two high-speed USB3 ports and an HDMI 1 .4 output for both video and audio. Finally, the LED-based 'accent colours' on the device can be modified using Alienware's Command Centre software, allowing users to coordinate the system with their decor.

Why You'll Dig it:

Available for around $160 from many etailers, TRENDnet's latest home IP camera offers several extras over common home cams, most notably 1,280x800 native resolution, 802.11n up to 150MBps, one-touch WPS setup, a microSD card slot (for local image storage in case of interrupted connectivity), four integrated infrared lamps for night vision, and two-way mic/speaker audio. The mic is impressively sensitive and a great surveillance addition to help compensate for not having motorized pan/tilt/zoom capabilities.

The TV-IP572WI's image controls available through its internal web server are comprehensive and let you fine-tune scenes, including slow shutter options for low-light conditions. For complete darkness, the TV-IP572WI's built-in IR lamps provided enough illumination to show detail in people out to a distance of 10 to 12 feet.

The Megapixel Wireless N Day/Night Internet Camera, model TV- IP572WI, transmits real-time Megapixel video over the Internet. Record indoor video in complete darkness for distances of up to 7.5 meters.

Who should apply:

For an image quality that's good enough for its price. This is a good alternative for anyone who wants to keep a good eye on his business or home even during the night.

Why You'll Dig it:

SilenX's EFZ-120HA5 is all the proof you need that superb cooling performance doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg. Packing an Effizio 120mm fan with third-generation fluid-dynamic bearings, the EFZ-120HA5 has a bunch of other goodies, like direct-touch copper heatpipes and compatibility with the latest CPUS, on cooler twice (or thrice) the price of the EFZ-120HA5. Although the EFZ-120HA5 enough oomph to get the job done with one fan, you do have the option to add another fan and bolster the cooler's heat disipation. SilenX backs the cooler with a three-year warranty.

Who should apply:

Value seekers who want crazy-good performance for under $30. With its LGA2011 compatibility, the EFZ-120HA5 is a terrific choice for someone planning a budget- oriented Sa ndy Bridge-E buld.

Why You'll Dig it:

The H20-320Edge HD represents a true revolution in the world of liquid cooling: It combines Swiftech's extreme performance featureswith an ease of installation and versatility that lets all users, from beginners to hardcore enthusiasts, take full advantage of all the benefits afforded by liquid-cooling. The triple 120mm radiator is a sight to behold.

Swiftech H2O-X20 Edge HD Series - H20-320 HD Each kit is composed of only two elements: The patent pending MCR-X20 Drive Rev3 which combines radiator, reservoir, and pump into one unit and is also available for sale separately. The all new Apogee HD waterblock. The kits are available in two models, and two versions each: The H20-220 HD Edge with dual 120mm radiator, and either Black or White Apogee HD. The H20-320 HD Edge with triple 120mm radiator, and either Black or White Apogee HD. Superior Performance at low noise levels With their copper & brass radiators, most powerful DC pump in its size class on the market, and the new Apogee HD waterblock, the H20x20 Edge kits deliver superior performance at low to barely audible noise levels. Fine-tuning Right Out of the Box No extra fan or pump controller is needed: you can fine-tune your cooling system by simply connecting the pump to the motherboard and controlling it with the PWM function.

Who should apply:

Extreme enthusiasts in the market for an insanely powerful CPU cooler.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Why You'll Dig it:

The Platimax 1200W features a maximum efficiency of 94% at 50% load and a minimum efficiency of 89%, so it meets the 80 PLUS Platinum standard. It supports quad GPU configurations with eight 6+2-pin PCI-E connectors, as well as powerful CPUs with its two 4+4-pin EPS12V connectors. When paired with an ErP Lot 6 2013-compliant motherboard, the ENERMAX can operate at less than 0.5W when the PC is turned off or in sleep mode, which improves efficiency by up to 20% in comparison to traditional power supplies.

Who should apply:

Power users with a case full of hardware, including multiple GPU's and require a high-end power supply that can deliver reliable power to all the components. Those concerned about energy efficiency will also like that the Platimax 1200W meets one of the highest 80 PLUS certifications.

Why You'll Dig it:

The CHALLENGER Ultimate delivers a number of great features for gamers. Firdt off, you'll find 64KB of onboard memory that can store up to 70 macro keybinds to cover the variety of action, shooting, RPG, and strategy games you play. There are 14 dedicated "T" key that allow quick access to macros, and you can set up five game profiles for the "T" macro keys, so you can instantly switch profiles between games. For I/O connection convenience, there are two USB 2.0 ports and audio jacks. A backlight switch lets you control the keyboard's backlighting ( you can choose from up to 256 colors), and an adjustable cooling fan keeps your hands dry and comfortable when the action heats up.

Similar products

Why You'll Dig it:

The Arc Touch Mouse offers a flexible design that lets you pop up the mouse to a curved orientation when you're ready to roll (or scroll); when you're done, you can flatten the mouse for convenient storage. Flattering the Arc Touch Mouse also turns the battery off. The Arc Touch Mouse's scroll button let's you use gestures to control navigation. For example, you can quickly move your finger up or down for fast scrolling. You can also swipe or flick your finger to scroll across the screen. Microsoft's BlueTrack Technology works on most any surface, so consider your mousepad optional.

Who should apply:

Users who need a mouse with a comfortable design that's easy to pack in a travel bag.